effigy

/ˈɛfəd͡ʒi/

//ˈɛfəd͡ʒi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"effigy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“effigy” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,536. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,536
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dummy or other crude representation of a person, group or object that is hated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-effigy · effigy · English

effigy · rank #36,536 · 7 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,536
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Earnhardt

Nearest frequency peer: Earnhardt (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “effigy”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “effigy” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

effigy vs effing
67% similar
effigy vs Effie
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for effigy
PropertyValue
Headwordeffigy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛfəd͡ʒi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#36,536
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “effigy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).effigylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Earnhardt” (#36,535), “Ehrlich” (#36,537), “Ealing” (#36,534). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “effigy” is #36,536. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around effigy (IPA /ˈɛfəd͡ʒi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,536 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for effigy, with forms such as "effgiy", "effiggy", and "effigyy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "effing", "Effie", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French effigie, from Latin effigiēs (“likeness, effigy”), from effingō (“represent, portray”). The correct English form is effigy, spelled E-F-F-I-G-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dummy or other crude representation of a person, group or object that is hated.
  2. 2
    A likeness of a person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how effigy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In England on Bonfire Night, an effigy is often burned.
  2. All around, terrace by terrace, there went marble lawns well guarded by onyx lions and carved with effigies of all the gods striding amid the symbols of the worlds.

Etymology

From French effigie, from Latin effigiēs (“likeness, effigy”), from effingō (“represent, portray”).

Synonyms

figureimagepicture

This word in other languages

efigie(Español)effigie(Français)Abbild(Deutsch)efígie(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • effgiy
  • effiggy
  • effigyy
  • effiyg
  • efifgy
  • efigy
  • fefigy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of effigy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

effgiy2effiggy1effigyy1effiyg2efifgy2efigy1fefigy2
Edit distance from "effigy"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "effigy"?
"effigy" is spelled E-F-F-I-G-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛfəd͡ʒi/.
What does "effigy" mean?
As a noun, "effigy" means: A dummy or other crude representation of a person, group or object that is hated.
What words are commonly confused with "effigy"?
"effigy" is commonly confused with "effing", "Effie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "effigy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "effigy" is /ˈɛfəd͡ʒi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "effigy"?
From French effigie, from Latin effigiēs (“likeness, effigy”), from effingō (“represent, portray”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "effigy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Ealing#36,534dipole#36,522dampen#36,512daemon#36,511

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Estes7 variantsfaker7 variantsflume7 variantscuffed7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list